AEP Names Dion Vice President, Technology Business Development

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Jun 05, 2015, 02:37 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Philip J. Dion will join American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) effective July 9 in a new position as vice president, Technology Business Development. Dion, 47, is currently with UNS Energy Corp. as senior vice president, Public Policy and Customer Solutions. Dion will report to Richard E. Munczinski, AEP's senior vice president, Regulatory Services.

"With the changing nature of the electric utility business, this new role at AEP will be focused on developing a business strategy to help us better anticipate and meet the evolving needs and expectations of our regulated utility customers," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Phil's background is uniquely suited to this challenge. He has developed innovative solutions to help UNS meet changing customer expectations including utility-scale solar, distributed generation and energy efficiency solutions. He has extensive regulatory experience and success at UNS. He also served as an advisor to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Arizona Corporation Commission. We're looking forward to Phil joining our team and are confident that his perspective will help us succeed as our industry continues to evolve."

Dion has been in his current position with UNS since September 2013 with responsibility for the direction and execution of regulatory and legislative strategy at the federal and state levels for Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services. He also had oversight of customer service and engagement, marketing, corporate communications, customer programs and community relations. Dion joined Tucson Electric Power in 2008 as vice president of Legal and Environmental Services and became vice president of Public Policy in 2010. He served as chief of staff and chief legal advisor to then-Commissioner Marc Spitzer of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from July 2006 to January 2008. Before Spitzer's appointment to the FERC in 2006, Dion had served as his advisor at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) since 2004. Dion also was a deputy Maricopa County attorney and an administrative law judge at the ACC. He has a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration in finance from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5.3 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 32,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.